


Astronomy Was Never My Strong Suit

by HolleringHawk65



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Kingdom Come (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2015-11-15
Packaged: 2018-04-26 16:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5011735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolleringHawk65/pseuds/HolleringHawk65
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some stars stay in their main sequence for billions of years, satellites revolving around them for just as long.</p><p>Others burn out too quickly.</p><p>Mar’i finds herself on another Earth and ends up in bed with Jason.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Nebula

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so just to let y'all know, I've only read Kingdom Come, not anything else with Mar’i in it so I apologize profusely in advance if she’s super out of character!  
> Also any lack of punctuation is on purpose ;)

She had always been told that her parents were wild and passionate people. So, it really shouldn’t surprise her that this passion manifested in her as the reckless urge to sleep with a random stranger when something went wrong.

Considering things couldn’t get any more wrong than waking up on another universe’s Earth, she felt justified.

She woke up nestled in someone’s arms, for once not feeling over heated. His skin was cool and she would have been worried if he was dead or not if she didn’t hear his heart beating steadily under her ear.

It was cozy here, against scarred skin on one side and layers of soft, thick, blankets against the other. There was a faint smell of root beer, smoke, and a metallic something; it made her feel like she was somewhere rustic even though they were in a loft in a warehouse, and the sounds of Gotham, awake so shortly after dawn, only a mere wall away.

She pressed herself against him, into him, something in her just wanting to keep him close to her. She couldn’t remember if they’d even exchanged names last night; she hadn’t even been that drunk last night. Hadn’t been at all, really, but there was something about him that had been so intoxicating; she was drawn to him like a magnet.

After she stopped musing, she closed her eyes again and relaxed against the strong, solid, body next to her.

* * *

 

_Blackberries_

He didn’t even know how he could just tell what it was, with it being only vaguely familiar from summers long ago, spent sitting on the counter and watching Alfred and Clark make pies for the League’s Fourth of July picnic. There it was though, clinging to black hair and tan skin that was right underneath his nose. He didn't remember much of last night, not that that was much of a surprise. He hadn't gotten shitfaced--wouldn't do that when he knew Roy was around--but what it had been was enough for everything to be blurry. He couldn't remember the girl's name, which bothered him more than usual.

His arms were wrapped around her, holding her close to him, like he was subconsciously afraid of her leaving

The thought was ridiculous

He shifted, trying to get a better look at her face, and she started to wake up. Her eyes were green like the peridot Damian had given him for his birthday. A slow smile appeared on her lips as she looked at him; he smiled back at her as he squeezed one of his arms.

She laughed before reaching up to kiss him, her fingers choosing to run through his hair. “You're even beautiful when you're awake.” She whispered the admission to him, this stranger whose name she didn’t remember or just didn’t know. She watched as his cheeks turned red and laughed again, feeling safe, feeling all too comfortable in his arms.

He sat up, pulling her with him, his blue eyes just staring at her face. “I think you’re the beautiful one here.”

It’s a simple, obvious, compliment to say but she still smiles, still leans over to kiss him again and again. “I’m Mar’i, by the way.”

“I’m-”

“Jason! Jason Todd!” The door to apartment flung open and two people walked in. “Wakey wakey eggs and bacy!”

Jason brushed his lips across her forehead, whispered: “I’m so sorry,” before getting up. He grabbed a sweatshirt and, dressed in that and his boxers, walked down from the loft. “What’s up guys?”

Mar’i peered over the edge and tried to hold back a gasp as everything clicked into place.

That was _Jason Todd_ \-- _the_ Jason, the one her father hated talking about because he had failed him so badly. Had he never died in this universe?

Next to him was _Uncle_ Roy--sufficiently lean and beardless, only a little scruff. His arms were littered with tattoos, something that her Roy had been against.

Closer to the door, Mar’i’s jacket in her hands, stood Kori. Mar’i’s breath caught in her throat, trying to not call out to her mother--because she _wasn’t_ her mom. They were two different versions of each other and even though they looked exactly alike, she couldn’t just replace her dead mother with this look alike.

“Jason, where did you get this?” the redhead asked after a moment.

“It’s mine,” Mar’i called out, earning the attention of both of the newcomers. “I should be going, shouldn’t I?”

“No” “Yes”

Jason looked at Kori for a moment before speaking.“Stay! Please. These two were just leaving.”

Roy grabbed Kori's hand as her other dropped the jacket. “C’mon buddy, let’s go to the store for the groceries Jaybird needs.”

There was a moment of silence after they left before Jason talked again. “Sorry about that.”

She held the blanket around her tighter, still reeling from the revelation that this was Jason Todd--a _living_ legend. The dead son was right here, breathing in the same city as Batman. _Does Bruce know? Bruce has to know. Why isn’t Jason living at the Manor--or does he and he just brings girls here? No, that doesn’t make sense if Roy and Kori had come here, unless they had gone there first. Though they mentioned groceries, and they aren’t something you get for a love nest._

She gasped as it truly hit her. She had slept with _Jason Todd_ \--by _law_ , he was her uncle. True, it wasn’t any worse than sleeping with Ibn, but-

“Are you alright?”

_I should tell him. That’s the right thing to do--but how crazy does it sound? Hi, I’m your adopted brother’s daughter with one of your best friends from another universe where I may or may have not been with one of your other adopted brothers._ She opened her mouth to say something then closed it for a second. “I should go.”

“Look, if it’s about Roy and Kori, I’m sorry. We do this thing and they kinda... Need me a lot, I guess. Somewhere along the way I became their... leader.”

“For a redheaded army? That’s pretty neat.”

He laughed. “Yeah, it is, isn’t?”

His laugh rang through her ears. It was such a different sound then she was accustomed to--natural. She wanted to stay and to hear more of it, more about him, to drink it all in and get drunk on him. _That wouldn’t be responsible of me._

“Do you want breakfast?”

Breakfast was a thing that lovers do, not… _Not one night stands._

“I really should get going.” It was a weak protest, only because she did want to stay.

Ibn always kept his emotions in check--never let anyone see what he was really feeling (not surprisingly, it was disgust most of the time anyway). So this, the way that Jason’s face was asking “why do you have to?” made her pause in her search for her clothes.

“I’m sorry.”

Not surprisingly, she knew he didn’t believe her.

* * *

 

Tim leaned over to Dick, the tip of his hair brushing against his shoulder. “Why is Jason staring at you?”

It was Wayne family movie night, for an early celebration of Bruce’s birthday, and they were all there and, miraculously, no one had tried to kill each other yet. “What are you talking about?”

Tim sighed and rolled his eyes. “Did you eat his last sticky bun or something again?”

Dick glanced over at Jason. “No. I haven’t talked to him before this in weeks.”

Jason finally looked away. He didn’t know why he thought--why it even popped into his mind that Mar’i looked anything like Dick. It didn’t matter; he probably wasn’t going to ever see her again. He had wanted to skewer Kori and Roy by the time they came back, even though it didn’t really have anything to do with them.

He looked back at Dick. It was the hair--not that Mar’i’s was that short, but the color and texture, he was sure. Their skin tones were similar even and their body style, but maybe that was him looking into it too much. Dick didn’t have any kids, certainly not any old enough to be going to bars and sleeping with vigilantes.

She’d been on his mind since that morning. He could remember the way she’d felt in his arms ( _perfect_ ), how she’d smelled ( _blackberries_ ), the way her voice sounded ( _bells_ ), and her eyes, oh her eyes ( _his new favorite color_ ).

But tonight was about Bruce.

* * *

 

Arguably, she should be trying to get home with more effort than what she’d already shown. This Earth was nice though--her mother was still alive, Superman had not retired yet, the Joker was apparently extremely dead, and there was no sign of Magog.

She finished her yoga routine, settling down criss cross applesauce. Once a day, she tried to conduct a brief reflection on how to get home and what she had done to help her, but all she could think about was Jason.

Ibn would laugh if he could see her now. She didn’t know why she cared so much, why she cared at all. Jason was a one night stand--no more, no less.

The door to the apartment she was renting opened up and in walked Kori. She held her breath as she watched her (kinda) mother stride in, looking like she was about to kill her.

The Tamaranean crossed her arms. “Who are you and what did you do to my friend?”

“I wouldn’t hurt Jason on purpose.” The words tumbled out before she could even think about them--was that really true?

“He’s been acting strange since he slept with you. What did you do to him?”

“Nothing! I’ve been just as miserable as him, I’m sure.”

“Who are you?” she asked again.

_Your daughter._ “Clearly, an unfortunate person. You totally busted my door!”

“One of my friends will pay for it,” she explained as her eyes narrowed. “You are… half Tamaranean?”

“How did you-nevermind. Yes. Big surprise, Mom-”

Her eyes widened. “Mar’i? After Dick’s mother?”

“Yes.”

“What happened to your Earth?”

“I don’t know. I just woke up here one day.”

Kori’s features softened as she walked over to and hugged her. “I’m sorry for accusing you.”

“It’s not a big deal,” she whispered. “But Jason is…”

“Going to be fine once he sees you,” the redhead said lightly as she took Mar’i’s hand into her own. “If that’s okay.”

Did she want anything but?

* * *

 

“Kori! How hard is it for you to not interfere with my love life?” he yelled. “I’m so sorry, Mar’i.”

“Don’t be,” she whispered. “I wanted to be here.” And she said that, wondering if the feeling in her chest was her heart breaking. They’d read it all wrong, thought it was debatable as to whether or not there was anything to have read. “I’ll be going.”

Kori laughed before she disappeared, leaving the two alone. Jason stared at her for a moment before looking down at his floor. “So, you’re from another universe?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you meet me?”

“No.”

He looked up at her again. “Did you know who I was?”

“Everyone does,” she whispered.

He left it at that.

_Because your death was a glaring warning to every sidekick._


	2. Red Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A star is in "main sequence" for about 90% of its life--or something like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so so sorry this took me so long! School is such a pain. Also, I have NaNoWriMo coming up, and I'm hoping on working on original stories but I'll probably finish this up as part of that! ^.^

Aside from how they started out, and ignoring she was the daughter of his adopted brother and his best friend from a whole other universe, they were a pretty normal couple.

They went out for ice cream at least once a week (soft serve from down the street), had pizza every Friday night (spinach and mozzarella because if he was going to keep smoking, she was going to cram every bit of healthy food that she could down his throat), hung out with his friends (hers didn't even exist yet, if they ever would) and family (usually only Alfred). Not to mention the whole “saving the world” thing that they do just about every other week.

Above all though, their favorite thing to do was just laying in bed together, arms wrapped around each other, a blanket on top of them. Slow, lazy kisses would always follow as he ran his fingers through her hair. He’d say something like: “you’re so beautiful” because he still couldn’t believe that someone _close_ to the perfection that she was would even give him the time of day. She was her parents’ best characteristics rolled into one and _everyone_ could see that. He didn’t even know why he let this keep going on.

(that’s a lie: he’s selfish and dark and attracted to the light and that's all she is, _light light light_. He needs her when she doesn’t need him)

He liked it when she sat on the counter and watched him make breakfast or dinner. Liked it when they could just _be_.

She marveled at all of his different scars, wanting to know the stories behind them, even though she knew that some (most, probably) of them would be horrifying.

They were in bed as she mapped out the scars on his chest and stomach for the fifteenth time. He was asleep enough that she wasn't worried about him waking up and asking her what she was doing; his heart beat a steady rhythm underneath her fingertips. When she finished, she gently (like a feather) kissed him on the lips before she curled up next to him.

After a few minutes, Jason wrapped his arms around her and wondered what he had done to deserve her.

There was a reason that Jason avoided bring Mar'i to anything BatFam related and it didn't have to do with her being an alternate Dick's daughter. No, he kept her and the family separate because he _knew_ that she would find out that they were all better than him.

So when Mar'i casually mentioned they'd be going to Wayne Manor for Thanksgiving, Jason wanted to stab himself with a spoon.

"Is it the elaborateness of it?" he asked. "Because I can make a five course meal here and not burn the apartment down."

She took his hands into her own and sighed. "Whether you like it or not, they're your family. I know how much they missed you in my universe, and I think it's even more here because you're alive but you don't let them in." She pulled one hand away to rest it on his cheek. "Okay?"

He bowed his head. "Alright."

She squeezed his hand "I love you."

His breath hitched, eyes glittering when he looked back up at her. He kissed her softly, pulling her closely. He tasted like the ocean.

_Is love supposed to hurt?_

* * *

 

“I never got to go to the movies a lot," she explained as they sat down in the plush theatre seats. "My dad was too busy and..."

"Bruce has a home theater?" Jason supplied as he popped a kernel into his mouth.

She laughed. God, he loved that laugh; it was the best song in the soundtrack of his life. "You know, I didn't live in the manor all of my life. It got blown up when Bruce's identity was exposed."

Jason froze. "What? By who?"

"Jay, it doesn't matter, this is a whole-"

"Mar'i, just tell me." His voice dropped an octave, the Red Hood equivalent of the Batman gravel and for a second, she thought that if anyone else was here, they'd recognize it for exactly what it was.

"Bane, I think. Someone else. It was over a decade ago, Jason. I was a child." As soon as she said it, his face became impassive and she knew him well enough to know that his head had gone to what had happened when he was a child, the things he would never forget. She squeezed his hand, brought him back down to her. "I'm sorry."

And it was true. All her life, she'd thought _What if I had been alive then? Couldn't I have gotten there fast enough to save him?_ and now. Now, she looked at him and wondered if there was anything that could have saved him.

* * *

 

There was a reason that her name was Mar'i Grayson and not Mar'i (or Martha) Wayne. The reason made itself excruciatingly apparent the minute she and Jason walked into the dining room of Wayne Manor--even before that, the arguing could be heard from the foyer.

Dick and Bruce were already at each other's throats, apparently about Damian, who was sitting close to them and-

" _Ibn_?" It was more of a gasp than it was a question, more terror than it was joy. Because-

_Why?_

He cocked his eyebrows up. "Excuse me?" And it was exactly like what she imagined a younger Ibn to sound like and he looked exactly like in the few photos that had survived, and there was three _hundred_ things wrong with this because-

_How?_

She got over it quickly, hoped her alarm didn't show on her face. “What?”

The _maybe_ sixteen year old shrugged it off, went back to paying attention to his brother and father, who had suddenly paused their argument.

“Jason," Dick breathed out, smiling. "Glad you could make it."

Somebody slimmer and shorter came in with Alfred. He elbowed Dick in the stomach, causing a laugh and a smile. “You must be Mar'i," he said, smiling. "I'm Tim."

Jason's arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her close to him.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 

The boys were off helping Alfred clean up in the kitchen, leaving Bruce and Mar'i alone. It was different between the two of them in this world, because he was still trying to figure her out, trying to decide whether she was actually a friend or if she was an enemy.

He cleared his throat, stretched his hand out to his glass of water, resting it there. "I understand that you are Dick and Koriand'r's daughter from another universe."

She knew him well enough to know it wasn't a question.

“If you hurt Jason,” he started, keeping eye contact with her, “I will ruin you.”

She knew him well enough to know that had been a promise, not a threat.

For a moment, she was silent, before she said, carefully, slowly, “I love him just as much as you do.” Bruce stared at her as she got up and walked away, heading towards the safety of Jason in the kitchen.

* * *

 

It was later on in the night, her fingers freely running across his scars, her thoughts running a thousand miles away from them, when just a single sentence, a single _doubt_ , came to mind.

_Do I?_


	3. Supernova

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's when a star increases in brightness as it explodes and loses itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was not supposed to be so long, but I hope you enjoy it! :)

Jason loved the way that the water reflected onto her skin. He loved it so much, loved _her_ so much, that he spent more time looking at her then and the creatures inside of the tanks.

She looked over at him, smiling at her like he was her world. She reached out a hand, intertwining her fingers through his. “I love you,” she whispered, because she does, she _knows_ that she does, knows that she wouldn’t trade a second with Jason for a moment back on her old world.

“I love you, too,” he whispered after leaning in, his lips brushing against her cheek.”

They stood there for a moment, watching the seahorses swimming around. “I have something that I need to tell you.”

“Yeah?” His heart started hammering, something in his brain telling him to let her hand go when all he wanted to was squeeze it, but he just let it be. “Is everything okay?”

“I’m pregnant,” she said, in a rush, her free hand splaying over her stomach. She stared at him for a moment, tried to gauge his reaction. It was all wide eyes and his hand squeezing hers tight.

“Really?” Because he couldn’t believe, couldn’t imagine that she was actually carrying _his_ child -- was that even possible, given the fact that he had died? And suddenly it came crashing down, because it probably wasn’t possible, it probably wasn’t his, and he let her hand drop. “Really?”

She reached out for him again, smiling, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Jason. I’m pregnant,” and, hesitantly, one of his hands reached out for her, resting his hand on her stomach.

“How far along are you?” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers, letting himself smile.

“About two months.”

That left about seven months for them to get ready, to get baby furniture and to pick out a name and this was… terrifying. What was he supposed to say now?

“Do you want to go home?”

She laughed, kissed the tip of his nose. “No, Jason, I want to go out to dinner, like we planned, and walk in the park.”

“Pregnancy cravings?” he asked, voice light as they walked out, hand in hand.

“Maybe. I’ve been craving fish… and peanut butter.”

“Together?”

“Not a lot, but sometimes. I’m thinking: herb crusted tilapia with a side of grilled asparagus for dinner, maybe with blackberry lemonade, and then for dessert, we go to that ice cream place down the street from our apartment?”

“For their PB & J banana split?”

“Maybe,” she singsonged before they put their helmets on and she wrapped her arms around his waist after settling in behind him. It was such a simple thought, but he realized that he was going to need to get a car, because there was no way that they were going to be able to ferry their _baby_ around on a _motorcycle_.

Then again, there were a lot of things that he was willing to change, would gladly change in a _heartbeat_ for her.

* * *

 

“You are with child?” Kori asked to verify, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “This is so amazing!”

Mar’i burst into a smile because _this is something I can_ share _with my mother._ “Isn’t it?’

“Jason is over the moon, I’m sure,” she said as she looked at Mar’i’s stomach. “I wonder what your mother went through when she was pregnant with you.”

Mar’i shrugged because her father didn’t talk about her that much. “Do you have any idea about what I should be expecting?”

Kori closed her eyes as she stood up. “I would think, considering that you _are_ half human, that the pregnancy should be fairly humanoid, if not a little longer.”

“Just more time to prepare,” she said, smiling as she sat down and wrapped her arms around her stomach. It was becoming more and more common; maybe because she wanted her baby to know how much she loved them already.

The door opened and Jason walked in, placing a bag of groceries (complete with quite the variation of peanut butter and blackberry products, she was sure) on the counter before acknowledging them. “Did I walk in on some Tamaranian pregnancy thing? Should I leave?”

Kori laughed. “No, no, we were just discussing some things. How are you?”

His eyes flickered over to Mar’i, making her wonder if she had done something, anything that had offended him. “I’m great, you know, excited about the baby.”

She smiled and nodded as if the words he had just spoken were Gospel. “I need to go see if Clark needs anything, but let me know if I can help either of you in anyway.”

“Thanks Kori,” Jason said with a smile as Mar’i simple said “Okay.”

Mar’i waited a few minutes after Kori had left. “Did I do something? Is something wrong?”

“You called Damian ‘Ibn’ the other night.”

The ‘other night’ had been Thanksgiving--over two weeks ago. “It was a slip of the tongue. I think that he and one of the man that I know in my universe are supposed to be the same person, but it doesn’t matter because he’s what, ten?”

“Thirteen,” Jason corrected as he set about putting the groceries away. “Is this the Ibn that… that you were almost in a relationship with?”

Mar’i hugged herself tighter as she got up. “Are you jealous?” She tried to make light of it because, really, Jason had nothing to worry about, if he even was worrying (he was, without a doubt). “Jason, you know that I only love you like that. _Only_ you.”

“So, if you suddenly found yourself being able to choose between me and Ibn, the _real_ Ibn and not Damian, you would-”

“Choose you, without a doubt,” she said, untangling herself before cupping his cheeks. “No matter the other person you put in that question, it will _always_ be you, my love.”

He sighed before leaning down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I would only choose you, too.”

* * *

 

“The nursery is really coming along,” Dick commented before taking another sip of his coffee. “Are you excited?”

“Of course I’m excited, I’m going to be a dad.” Jason loosened his collar, “But… It’s also terrifying. We’re going to be in charge of this little life and… and I just have to protect them, Dickie. I don’t want anything to happen to them like it happened to me. Nothing remotely close -- I will break _every bone_ in Bruce’s body if he comes anywhere need them about becoming Robin or Batgirl or anything like that!”

“Calm down,” Dick said, putting his hand on Jay’s shoulder.

“Calm down? You say it like you would consider letting _your_ kid become one of them!”

“I mean, I must have, in another world,” he said before shrugging. “I think that it’s impossible to say what we would do until we’re actually there in the moment.”

Jason sighed before straightening out the white blanket that was hanging over the side of the crib. Bruce had… _Bruce_ had given it to them when he found out, because he hadn’t had a chance to raise any of his children since they were babies, and their child was going to be the first since Bruce himself had been a baby. He wanted to keep it in _the family_.

And now? Now this meant that he and Mar’i and their baby were going to be a family.

As if reading his thoughts, Dick suddenly said: “You’re going to be a great dad, Jason. Never doubt that for a second.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “You really think so, Dickie? I’m afraid of screwing it up, of screwing my kid up, and what I have with Mar’i. Should I have married her before now I mean, that’s not even really a question, is it? I should have asked her the moment she told me. She probably thinks that I’m a no good cheap skate.”

He suddenly felt a familiar set of arms around him. “A no good cheap skate? Where would I get that idea from? No, I know that you’re nothing like that.”

He brought her around, kissed her even though they were in front of Dick. “Do you know how good you are?” he whispered. “I’m so lucky to have found you, do you know that?” He ran his fingers through her thick black hair, his hands running down her back before settling on her hips. And it might make him sound a little desperate but he added: “I’m so lucky to have found you.”

She smiled at him and kissed him, pressing herself against him because maybe he thought he was lucky, but she was the one who had gotten the jackpot, felt like she had been _blessed_ by an embodiment of the four leaf clover.

Dick loved seeing his brother happy and was happy, in a way (and because he felt obligated to), for Mar’i, but he did feel awkward watching them basically feel each other up, so he cleared his throat. Mar’i laughed before pulling away from Jason, turning around to face the other vigilante.

“So, the real reason that I called you here,” Jason started.

“Wait, this couldn’t just be some kind of brotherly bonding time? Seriously?”

He rolled his eyes, “We wanted to ask you something.”

“Shoot,” he said as he leaned against the back of their couch.

“We’d like it if you would be the baby’s godfather,” Mar’i said, smiling. “We asked Kori to be the godmother and she said yes.”

“You want.. _me_ to be the godfather? But… I’m your father.”

“First of all, that’s you from another planet,” Jason pointed out. “Secondly, I wanted you to be the godfather, but if you don’t want to, I’ll just ask Tim.”

“No! I do want to be the godfather, I just don’t want this to get weird,” he said, trying to explain it all. “Will it get weird?”

Mar’i shook her head. “At least, not on my end.”

Jason smiled. “Thanks, Dick. It really means a lot to me that you would say yes.”

“Hey, you’re the one who asked me and, well, it means a lot to _me_ that you would even consider me for this. I love you two -- well, three.”

Mar’i laughed and maybe it was because it had been so long since he heard it, but it sounded _exactly_ like Kori’s laugh to Dick. “We love you too.”

* * *

 

“I never thought that we would be doing such a corny, mainstream thing,” Jason told Mar’i as he cut into the cake. She was really showing now, the equivalent of at least eight months, and she looked so beautiful to him; had always and would always look beautiful. But there really was a glow around pregnant woman, and he got to witness it just about every day.

She smiled at him before dropping her eyes down to the cake as he pulled the slice out. She gasped before saying, “I knew it!” and hugging him as he sat the blue cake down.

He wrapped an arm around her as their friends and family cut more of the cake for themselves, saying their congratulations to the couple as they did. She was smiling so brightly now; he knew that she would have been happy either way, but that for her, there was something about having a boy that made her this way, but he wasn’t going to question it.

They pecked at their pieces of cake, but it basically was pecking, only a few bites between the two of them. She was getting tired as the night grew later and later, leaning against her lover more and more, ot that he minded. When the guests started to notice, they started leaving, until the last one there was Bruce, since he had driven himself there due to an argument between himself and Damian earlier.

“I’m very happy for you two,” he said, and even in her drowsiness, Mar’i knew that he meant it with all of his heart. Over the past few months, they had grown closer, and at of all the relationships she had cultivated since she arrived in this universe, this was the one that was the most like the original one. He took care of them, even if Jason didn’t want to admit it; he was always there for them, calling at least once a week to see if they needed anything.

So when he said that, she couldn’t stop herself from leaning forward and hugging him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

That was when something in her gut tightened and she cried out, her legs giving out from the sudden pain and intensity.

Jason was quick to pick her up, cradling her in his arms. “Do you-” He was cut off by a scream, her hands tightening in his shirt. God, they still hadn’t bought the stupid car, _but_ -

“I’ll drive,” he said before whipping his phone out. Over his shoulder, Jason saw that he was calling Kori.

She cried out again, this time a little weaker than before, as Bruce grabbed the delivery bag that Alfred had assisted in putting together. Jason was suddenly internally grateful for the two of them, no matter how much he had been mad at Bruce before. God, what would he even be doing right now if Bruce hadn’t been there to help him?

“Babe,” Jason started, trying to be soothing. “Try taking deep breaths,” was all he could think, all he could _remember_ from those classes they had gone to; how could he forget? All of that information had been important.

She smiled at him, weakly, as he fingers tightened even more in his shirt. “Try taking,” she winced, “your own advice, love.”

* * *

 

_Thirteen hours_ of watching the love of his life go through, almost without a doubt, the greatest pain of her life.

It was all for this little bundle of life, wrapped up in a blue blanket. He was lying in his mother’s arms, the place where he fit so perfectly, as if they were made for him to lay in. When she noticed that Jason was staring, she smiled up at him. “Have you held him yet?” She had to ask because she had fallen unconscious shortly after their son had taken his first breaths of real air.

He pulled a chair up to the side of the bed. “Yeah, I did. Isn’t he…” God, he was bad at this.

“Beautiful?” she supplied earning a nod. “I was wondering, because I know that we threw it around, but… How would you feel about naming him Bruce?”

He looked at the -- no, no -- _their_ baby, in her arms. He was silent, having not cried much, if at all yet, and while he was aware that almost every baby had blue eyes, their baby’s seemed just _so_ blue. And, really, would either of them be there, if it wasn’t for Bruce? He didn’t mean it in the way that, if Bruce hadn’t been in their _apartment_ , no, he meant her as in: ‘if it weren’t for Bruce, would I have even made it to fourteen?’

“I think that would be perfect,” he told her, and he really did mean it.


	4. Black Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "A region of space having a gravitational field so intense that no matter or radiation can escape."  
> Or, when everything is being ripped apart by the same event.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's not as long as the previous chapter but yeah anyway enjoy :)

Mar’i stretched out, letting the morning sun warm her up as she breathed in the scent of breakfast, reaching out for Jason’s pillow-

Her hand found nothing, because these weren’t the flannel sheets that they slept in. No, these were _her_ silk sheets, and her heart beat against her cheek like it wanted to get out, because everything was suddenly so _wrong_.

She got up, not even bothering with slippers or a robe as she ran out of the hallway and down the stairs of the newly rebuilt Manor, going into the kitchen where _Ibn_ was only wearing a pair of pajama pants as he made pancakes, her favorite; her prefered blackberry preserves were already even out.

He turned around, probably had her coming down the stairs with the way she had all but flown down them. “Beloved? Is something wrong?”

“Everything is wrong!” she yelled before she could check herself. “This, _this_ isn’t my life, something happened and - and, where’s _Jason_!? Where’s our son!?”

Ibn’s face turned into something that looked oh so pained. “Mar’i… you know that Jason Todd has been dead since before you were even born, don’t you? And that,” he took a deep breath. ‘Oh, Beloved, I know that the miscarriage was hard on you, but… we don’t have a son.”

Her heart shattered as she collapsed. This wasn’t like the contractions--no, those had _pained_ her, but it’d been in a physical way that she’d been able to get over, to combat with pain killers. This? This was nothing like that.

* * *

 

Bruce walked into the apartment unannounced. It was after a long patrol, and he’d been in the neighborhood, so he felt justified enough to stop in and check on his son and grandson.

Little Bruce was in Jason’s arms, a blanket around the baby, and Jason in a sweatshirt. The apartment was freezing, either because the heating had broken again or just because the heating didn’t get warm enough to block out the temperature changes of Mr. Freeze’s latest scheme against Gotham. One of Jason’s eyes cracked open, but only slightly. “Bruce?” fell from his lips, but he wasn’t sure if he was talking to his son or himself.

Wordlessly, he took his namesake out of Jason’s arms and put him in the cradle, wishing nothing more than for Jason to rethink his offer and come live with him and Alfred at the manor. Jason, bless his soul, _couldn’t_ reasonably raise the child on his own. Not when, at any moment, little Bruce could start exhibiting Tamaranian capabilities, and certainly not when Jason could be called away at a moment’s notice and leave the baby with say, Kori (again, bless her soul, but Bruce was certain that he didn’t trust a mostly human baby around her, alone).

Bruce wondered if it was his sleep deprivation or just him voicing what he wanted, but a second later, he said “Mar’i,” as if he saw her.

But no one had, not after she had given birth to their son. In hindsight, it had only been a matter of time before the universes righted themselves and pulled her back to her original world.

It might seem selfish, he knew, but he was glad that the worlds hadn’t taken little Bruce away, because he knew that if they had, they would have broken Jason’s heart right in two.

(As it stood, his heart was being held together by the tiny hands that belonged to his son.)

* * *

 

“Mar’i,” Johnny Zatara said softly, reaching out with a gloved hand for hers. “I know that you weren’t lying when you told Ibn you’d been in another world, that you had met Jason Todd and your mother and everyone else.”

She didn’t say anything, instead choosing to simple sip at her lemonade.

“I believe you when you said you had a baby.”

She closed her eyes, letting a few tears roll down her cheeks. She wanted to know how her baby was doing -- God, she wanted to hold him and feed him and help change him and do everything. She wanted pizza with Jason and to go on motorcycle rides and go to the aquarium (her favorite place because that was where she’d told him that she was pregnant, where they had become a real family) and ice cream and watching corny movies and _anything_ , anything with or for her love.

“Then help me get back,” she said, moments later, her voice hoarser than she had imagined it would be. “Help me get back to my _home_ , my _family_ ,” Because, no matter how hard she tried, this would never be home, never again. Not while Ibn thought that she was crazy -- thought that this was all a side effect of a miscarriage that she didn’t even remember having.

Johnny pulled something out of his coat, the classic Zatara mischief in his eye. “I think that I have a plan, my dear friend. And, I’m ninety nine point nine nine repeating, sure that it’s going to work.”

She started crying tears of happiness.

* * *

 

Little Bruce was much more observant than anyone in his family gave him credit for. He understood that it was primarily because he was, basically, still a baby, but they also forgot to account for his Tamarian brain and that Jason Todd (who, if you asked anyone aside from himself, was a genius).

So he understood that his ‘Mommy’ was gone, that the Aunt Kori was just a stand in (“I want you to know that I would never, ever, try to replace your mommy,” she had told him as she soothed him from a fever) and that it was okay that his daddy got sad because he missed Mommy. Not that Daddy would ever _want_ to show it.

But he saw it, or at least he imagined he did, as Daddy set the table for two adults almost every time, or started to before he caught himself, his eyes tearing up. Or when he got pizza and it ended up going bad because it was unreasonable for a grown up to eat a whole pizza, even over a few days, especially if they didn’t even really like the flavor.

So, little Bruce was happy when they moved in with Grandpa and Alfred and Uncle Damian, because there was a big dog that watched him vigilantly and there was cinnamon applesauce _whenever_ he wanted it! It was a baby’s dream.

What he didn’t understand though, was when Daddy was gone more and more, to the point where he saw Uncle Tim more than him. Sure, his uncles were great, but it was Daddy who rocked him to sleep perfectly -- Grandpa could only do so much.

He would be over the moon of his parents were there -- if Mommy and Daddy could be together and happy again -- but he knew that he’d be happy if it was only one was there.

* * *

 

“What? Is this some kind of intervention?” Jason asked as Dick steered him to sit on the couch. “Guys, I don’t even smoke anymore, it wasn’t good for Mar’i to be around second hand smoke and - and I’d never do that to little Bruce. I’d never _drink_ around him!”

Bruce was currently holding the baby, but he cooed as soon as he saw his father, reaching out for him. The only thing that the older man could do was oblige him, gently transferring him into Jason’s patiently waiting arms.

Damian tsked before getting up, pacing. “So are we just not going to address why we’re all gathered here today?” And it really was all of them -- Bruce, Alfred, Dick, Tim, himself, Barbara, Cassandra, Stephanie, Kori, Roy, and Clark. “Jason, that is your child that you are holding. The records show that you have only been at the manor for fifty-six hours in the past twenty-eight days, only six of those being consecutive. You barely sleep here, you barely see your _son_ , who _needs_ you!”

Jason looked down at his son, and Bruce, who was still standing close to them, could see that he was crying. “I want to be with you,” he whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

“Lovely. Since we have all of this settled, how about some lunch? Clark, I believe you brought some hoagies?” Alfred said, and they all nodded in agreement.

Bruce hung back with Jason and little Bruce. “Are you going to be alright?”

Jason nodded. “I just… I just didn’t think that what I was doing affected him, not really. All I wanted to do was get my mind off of Mar’i, and here I am pushing my son away.” He closed his eyes, leaning over to press a kiss to his son’s temple. “Why do I mess everything up?”

Bruce put a hand on his shoulder as he got up. “No, never everything, Jason. Your reaction is understandable, you’re… grieving.

Jason sniffed back as he tried to smile. “We’re going to find a way back to each other, I know it.”

* * *

 

“Are you sure that you’re ready to do this?” Johnny asked Mar’i.

“Johnny, we _have_ to try! I can’t stay here. I can’t live this life that isn’t mine anymore.”

He squeezed her hand before waving his hand, muttering something she didn’t understand. “Remember, only focus on one one thing or person, or you could be pulled apart to get to both, okay? I know you love your son and Jason, but only have _one_ touchstone.”

“Okay, one touchstone. Got it.” All her thoughts aligned themselves to center around Jason because, without him, none of this would be happening. And because all she wanted right then was to get a hug from him, to be held by him just one more time.

They squeezed each other’s hands as they stepped up to the portal.

“Ready or not…” Johnny started.

“I’m going home,” she finished, just as they stepped through it.


	5. Neutron Star

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A neutron star is small and heavy, something that happens when a black hole doesn't form after a supernova. And you know what? They're freaking beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who cares about chapter length consistency ;)

There really wasn’t much time for a reaction when a giant hole appeared mid air inside the manor’s dining room (the kitchen was too small for everyone to fit in) and two people were flying through it. One was flung right at Jason and the second she was in his arms, he knew that it was Mar’i and all he could do was start laughing and crying because _she was back_.

On the other hand, Bruce found himself with a pile of long limbs and a top hat in his lap. A head lifted up, blue eyes that were all too familiar, and he _squeaked_ before clambering off. “I’m so sorry Batman! That, um, that really wasn’t supposed to work like that. Mar’i! Are you alright?”

She was smiling, arms around Jason’s neck, looking like she never wanted to move. “I’m perfect, Johnny. It worked! How could I not be?”

* * *

 

Neither were one for extravagant affairs, but they appeased Alfred by letting him plan a small wedding for them. It was to be held on the manor’s grounds (something Johnny would never get over the beauty of, because their rebuilt manor paled in comparison); Kori was Jason’s best woman and Johnny was Mar’i’s man of honor. Little Bruce was the ring bearer, but since he still couldn’t walk, Bruce carried him down the aisle after Mar’i walked herself down it.

She looked so beautiful, taking everyone’s breath away, especially Jason’s. She felt like a princess in her dress, a light purple, off the shoulder ball gown style, the bodice embroidered with matching pearls. Her hair was done in a messy bun and he couldn’t wait to take it out and run his fingers through it, to hold her close that night and every night afterwards.

The wedding was a blur and they could afford to let it be because now they would have the rest of their lives to say sweet nothings to each other.

The moment they would never forget though, was when Mar’i was holding Bruce, Jason’s arms wrapped around her, his chin on her shoulder, and their son said his first word: “Fami!”

_They were finally a family._

* * *

 

 

“What do you think of adoption?” Mar’i asked, over a year later.

Jason closed the book that he’d been reading. “Adoption? I… I think it would be a good idea. Why?”

She sat up, smiling as she straddled his legs. “I just, I always imagined that I’d have a big family, maybe to compensate for the fact that it was just me and my dad for most of my life. Not that you two are replacements or anything, you know how much I love you and-”

Jason ran his fingers through her hair as their foreheads touched. “I know, darling. But you really want to adopt?”

She nodded. “I want to be able to make another child happy, and I think that since 99% of the time one of us is here, we could make it work. And this way, we could get a child out of the foster system or off the streets and-” she sighed. “I just want to help someone.”

He almost pointed out that there were other ways to help orphans, but he had been one of those kids and he knew that all most of them wanted in life was two loving parents. “Why don’t we look into it later?”

She smiled, leaning in to hug him. “It’s going to be amazing, Jason.”

He hugged her back, squeezing her. “Yeah, it is, isn’t it?”

* * *

 

Leonie Grayson-Todd was nothing short of being a spitfire. She was thirteen years old and able to drive Damian up the walls with her puns and her attitude that could rival his on any given day. She loved her little brother fiercely, having instantly taken to little Bruce after saving him from kidnappers when his uncles (Dick and Tim) had been watching him.

She had stumbled on her new family’s secret shortly after moving into the manor, and while she respected her dad asking her to wait to go out in the field until she was at least eighteen, that didn’t stop her from brawling with Damian once a week, not to mention the sketchbook of costume ideas she shared with her baby brother and their cat, Cleopatra.

And how many kids could say that their mom was _half alien_? Sure, she didn’t go announcing it to the world, but it was just so cool! And her mom’s best friend was a magician who could rival _Zatanna Zatara_ (if he ever got off the couch, that is) and her dad’s best friends were _Arsenal and Starfire_ (who was dating _Superman!_ ) -- it was _easily_ a dream come true.

Christmas that year felt like she had just walked into a winter wonderland. She had helped Alfred (there. was. a. _butler_. [Though he was more like a second grandfather, behind Bruce Wayne.]) decorate, but waking up on Christmas morning, she _knew_ that Johnny had worked his magic -- it was _snowing_ inside the manor! She had gotten everything she had asked for, not to mention her own personal ornament (a carved lioness with a velvet collar) that she got to hang up on the tree.

It was fun to watch everyone opening their presents -- a lot of them were meticulous about trying not to rip the wrapping paper, which turned out to be a long standing game among the family (surprisingly, it was Uncle Dick in the lead). Mom and Dad took turns opening presents for little Bruce, who was sitting in Leonie’s lap, and this?

It felt like they were the most complete family in the world.

* * *

 

Mar’i curled up against Jason that night, both of them in their flannel pajamas, fingers intertwined. “Jay?”

He hummed as one of his hands came to rest on the small of her back.

“I think that I might be pregnant again,” she blurted out, before kissing him again.

He sat up. “What? I thought you were on birth control now, and we’ve been using protection and-” he remembered a few weeks ago, when they’d both gotten hit by Ivy’s pollen -- there was no way they’d remembered to use protection then. “You’re pregnant again.” He felt himself bursting into a ridiculous smile, wrapping both arms around her. _Thank you, whoever you are up there, for bringing Mar’i and me together._

Of course, Jason wanted to tell their kids right away. They sat them down in one of the study’s after breakfast, Bruce sitting on Leonie’s lap.

Their parents were holding hands, smiling, when they began to talk.

“We want you to know, first of all, that our love for both of you is limitless, and none of that is going to change, ever, no matter what happens.”

In the back of her head, Leonie was starting to figure it out -- she’d watched enough TV to guess where this might be heading, and she smiled so wide that, in another life, it might have been the Joker’s smile.

“A few things are going to change though, nothing major, of course, but you know, noticeable things.”

“Like the size of Mom’s stomach? Because you’re pregnant?” Leonie said before she could stop herself.

Mar’i smiled, “Yes.”

Jason playfully rolled his eyes, trying to pretend that he was a little bit annoyed that they didn’t get to say it.

“Yay!” little Bruce said, clapping his tiny hands together. “New sisser!”

Jason squeezed his arm that was around Mar’i, happy that the kids were taking it so well. How the rest of the family reacted (though he couldn’t imagine them _not_ being happy) didn’t matter, because _their_ family was happy.

More than that, really. His family was complete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed this story! I'm probably going to do oneshots set in the same universe :)

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to follow me on tumblr! It's the same username :)


End file.
